Little Rusty......

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Feb 6, 1998
11,760
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
This morning I was supposed to meet one of my customers, "bright and early", to move his boat to the boat yard, and do a short haul to replace the depth transducer. I'm really pretty much dragging arse today as I was working on another customers boat until 12:00 am last night.

As I am walking down the ramp to the dock I get a call. "Is it possible for you to move the boat without me, I can't make it."... "Ahh sure....." Of course this is Maine, and the FOG this morning is typical thick, moving in and out from 30 yards to 150 yards visibility. The customer has a brand new compass that has yet to be swung, waiting on the compass adjuster, and a brand new e7 plotter that I have not had enough time using to feel comfortable with.

So now I am digging through his boat to find the tools to plot my course, on paper, and locating the charts so I can get the boat there for the short haul time. Let's just say I made do with the tools he had, which are not the tools I am used to using. My plotting skills are rusty at best using other peoples tools, boats and compasses.... Lesson learned, always show up with my own hand held plotter.... Luckily I had my hand bearing compass in the car because the brand new compass is NOT accurate, yet. I also managed to find his fog horn and I had mounted his radar reflector so I knew that was good.....

So now that I am here I have to wait for three boats to get launched before I get hauled, but, they have a nice lounge....

Real time (the fog was less thick at the marina):

 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Always good to know how to do it manually. But I also keep a copy of Navionics for Maine on my smartphone just in case.
 
May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
I am worse than you Tim. I have a chart plotting program on my droid, a brand new Garmin 441s, and a back up handheld Garmin handheld GPS Map (the handheld use to be the primary unit until this spring). I also have charts, compass, and other plotting gear. I really don't like the idea of getting lost!
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
I am worse than you Tim. I have a chart plotting program on my droid, a brand new Garmin 441s, and a back up handheld Garmin handheld GPS Map (the handheld use to be the primary unit until this spring). I also have charts, compass, and other plotting gear. I really don't like the idea of getting lost!
LOL, my response was meant for when I am on OPBs.
 
Oct 2, 2006
1,517
Jboat J24 commack
I left Huntington harbor Saturday to move Seafever to its mooring in Northport harbor about a 6 mile trip

Going out of Huntington was a bit foggy and when i got into the small bay the visibility dropped to 35' and i had to stop for 10 minutes and plot a course

Naturally 19 minutes later the visibility went up to about 1/2 mile as it would have been hard to find the new 2012 location of the mooring :)
 
Oct 2, 2008
3,811
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
I hope you guys roll up the fog mat so I can find my way to Falmouth. I met quite a few Mainer's who had fathers or grandfathers that would lobster without using compasses or charts in fog and rain and still find their way home. I'm sure that they had the benifit of many miles traveled in the same area. I'll be using everything, including a big search light, to get through the fog.
All U Get
 
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Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Just spoke to a friend and realized which boat you were working on today. I knew his chart plotter was caput and just assumed he told you. Sorry man. I am sure you could have made that trip with your eyes closed though.

Hooked up the sonar Monday night and it works great. Working on the instruments and AP this weekend. Heading out Friday night again. Jewel or cliff Friday and likely Gosslings Saturday.
 
May 4, 2005
4,062
Macgregor 26d Ft Lauderdale, Fl
Holly Cow! is the sun even up?


-how about a hand held gps, next time Cap?
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
I worked for a man who grew up along the coast and told the story of a reporter who went out with a lobsterman on a foggy morning they motored for about a half hour and the lobsterman throttled back and picked up his boat hook and snagged a pot line and led it to the pot hauler. The reporter ask how he was able to find that pot on a foggy morning. The lobsterman said ,"I put it there yesterday".
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,092
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
from your photo looks like about 150 feet of reduced visibility
I used to think it was good if I could see my wife at the mast step on my 25 Catalina in southern new england. quite a challenge to navigate in fog especially at night. and this was before they invented chart plotters. Think of the old sea captains before any electronics. back then they didn't have oil tankers bearing down on them but those old brand banks fishermen on their schooners had quite a task of navigating.
 
Feb 2, 2010
373
Island Packet 37 Hull #2 Harpswell Me
That looks like MYC, nice staff to talk to and at least you are getting paid while waiting to be hauled.
 
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